Systems and methods for managing information associated with boxes used in the delivery of packages

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed methods and systems for managing drop boxes. Events reflecting outputs from one or more sensors are detected. Information that is a function of the detected event is forwarded to a drop box management system. This information, along with additional information received by the drop box management system, is utilized to generate instructions including display instructions for each drop box. Displays of drop boxes are then updated based on the instructions.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of managinginformation associated with boxes used in the delivery of packages,including boxes referred to as “drop boxes,” which delivery services useto enable customers to drop off and secure packages intended for pickupby a courier at a later time and subsequent delivery by the service to adestination. Additionally, the disclosure relates to systems and methodsfor displaying delivery service information on displays of drop boxes.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Courier services use boxes to enable customers to drop off and securepackages intended for pickup by a courier at a later time and subsequentdelivery of the packages by the service to a destination. These boxesare often referred to as “drop boxes.” Many courier services providedrop boxes in a variety of locations so that customers are able toconveniently ship items.

Drop boxes utilize decals to display delivery service information,including, for example, scheduled pickup times when a courier isscheduled to pick up any packages at the drop boxes, marketing messages,and holiday and other temporary pickup time changes. These decals areusually physically applied by couriers or drop box installers. Humanerror can sometimes lead to incorrect decals being installed or thedecals not being installed at all. Additionally, decals become outdated,for example, decals indicating pickup times during a holiday season maynot be properly removed, leading to inaccurate information beingprovided to customers. Furthermore, the decals may simply fade and wouldhave to be monitored regularly. These and other concerns with the use ofdecals on drop boxes may lead to packages not being shipped as intended.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, there is provided a methodcomprising: detecting an event reflecting output from one or moresensors associated with each drop box from one or more drop boxes;outputting drop box information from each drop box to a drop boxmanagement system as a function of the event; receiving information atthe drop box management system, the information comprising drop boxinformation from the one or more drop boxes or location informationreflecting travel of one or more couriers; generating instructions for arespective drop box from the one or more drop boxes based on thereceived information; providing the instructions to the respective dropbox; receiving the instructions at the respective drop box; anddynamically updating a display associated with the respective drop boxas a function of drop box output information outputted by the respectivedrop box and the instructions received from the drop box managementsystem.

In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, there is further provideda computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the oneor more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by acomputing device, cause the device to: detect an event reflecting outputfrom one or more sensors associated with each drop box from one or moredrop boxes; output drop box information from each drop box to a drop boxmanagement system as a function of the event; receive information at thedrop box management system, the information comprising drop boxinformation from the one or more drop boxes or location informationreflecting travel of one or more couriers; generate instructions for arespective drop box from the one or more drop boxes based on thereceived information; provide the instructions to the respective dropbox; receive the instructions at the respective drop box; anddynamically update a display associated with the respective drop box asa function of drop box output information outputted by the respectivedrop box and the instructions received from the drop box managementsystem.

In accordance with disclosed embodiments, there is further provided asystem comprising: a one or more drop boxes and a drop box managementsystem, wherein each drop box from the set of drop boxes and the dropbox management system comprise one or more processors, the one or moreprocessors configured to: detect an event reflecting output from one ormore sensors associated with each drop box from the one or more dropboxes; output drop box information from each drop box to the drop boxmanagement system as a function of the event; receive information at thedrop box management system, the information comprising drop boxinformation from the one or more drop boxes or location informationreflecting travel of one or more couriers; generate instructions for arespective drop box from the one or more drop boxes based on thereceived information; provide the instructions to the respective dropbox; receive the instructions at the respective drop box; anddynamically update a display associated with the respective drop box asa function of drop box output information outputted by the respectivedrop box and the instructions received from the drop box managementsystem.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only,and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate the disclosed embodiments and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for managing informationregarding drop boxes.

FIG. 2 illustrates devices of an exemplary system for managinginformation regarding drop boxes

FIG. 3 illustrates the operations of an exemplary method performed by asystem for managing drop boxes.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operations of an exemplary method performed by adrop box for managing information.

FIG. 5 illustrates the operations of an exemplary method performed by adrop box management system for processing information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to managing informationregarding a status of components in drop boxes. Customers are providedupdated and/or more accurate service information on displays associatedwith the drop boxes. Additionally, monitoring the status of componentsin drop boxes allows for more efficient management of drop boxresources, such as replenishing supplies that customers use inconnection with the delivery process, including envelopes, packaging,and forms.

In accordance with some embodiments, one or more sensors are placedwithin or proximate to a drop box. Each sensor is configured to sense anaspect or event associated with one or more of the components of thedrop box. Sensor event information may be compiled or used independentlyto trigger a notification to a drop box management system, which isconfigured to provide a further notification designed to address thetriggering event(s). For example, one or more sensors may sense when apackage bin is full, the battery is low, the display is not working, thecourier door of a drop box is left open, or scan a barcode. This sensorevent information may be relayed to the drop box management system. As afunction of this information and instructions from the drop boxmanagement system, a display on or proximate to the drop box may bechanged to reflect the sensor event information. In other words, eitherindependent or in consideration of any instructions from the drop boxmanagement system, information output on a particular drop box's displayis updated. For example, if the bin is full, the display may specify a“bin full” condition, and optionally, the display may provide analternative drop-off location and the alternative may be identified inaccordance with instructions from the management system.

The drop box management system, according to some embodiments, mayreceive information from drop boxes. The drop box management system hasthe benefit of receiving information from a set of drop boxes as well asinformation reflecting travel of couriers between destinations andinformation input into the drop box management system through othersources. For example, if a courier is running behind schedule for apickup at a drop box, the drop box management system may update adisplay of a particular drop box to indicate the expected pickup time ormay provide this pickup time through an interface, like email or theInternet, to customers. In another example, a marketing department mayuse the drop box management system to provide drop box displays withinformation on marketing campaigns, available discounts, and the like,and a dispatcher may use the drop box management system to manage otheraspects of the drop boxes.

In some embodiments, based on the received information, the drop boxmanagement system may generate instructions for the drop boxes and otherentities. For example, the drop box management system may generateinstructions containing display information for each of the drop boxes.Alternatively, it may generate a task order to be transmitted to acourier device or any other relevant entity. For example, if it isindicated that supplies are low in a particular drop box, there may be atask order created to replenish supplies in the particular drop box.Similarly, if a battery is low, a task order to replace the battery maybe created and sent to a maintenance individual.

These instructions are then communicated to the drop box. For example,display information may be transmitted to a drop box in the form ofinstructions on the information to display. Based on the receivedinstructions or sensor information, a drop box may adjust componentswithin the drop box. For example, based on instructions containingdisplay information, a display of the drop box may be updated.Alternatively, the display may also be updated based on information thatis a function of a detected event which reflects a status of acomponent. For example, if a sensor senses that a courier door has beenleft open for a threshold period of time, which may indicate that it hasbeen left open by mistake, the display may indicate that the drop box isno longer accepting packages in order to preserve the security ofpotential shipments.

As used herein, the term “courier” is intended to apply broadly to aperson, device, or vehicle configured to deliver, pick up, or otherwiseparticipate in the delivery of a package.

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examplesof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for managing information related tocomponents in drop boxes. System 100 may include drop boxes 102 and 104,drop box management system 106, and/or courier device 108, connected vianetwork 110.

Drop boxes 102 and 104 contain one or more bins, including, for example,a bin within the drop box 102, 104 that is configured to hold envelopes,packages, and the like deposited for delivery, and a bin that isconfigured to hold supplies available to customers for shipping.According to some embodiments, couriers pick up envelopes, packages, andthe like deposited in drop boxes for delivery. Some couriers may carry adevice 108 configured to enable communication among the courier, acentral dispatcher, one or more drop boxes, or other sources associatedwith the delivery service. Drop box 102 includes a display 101 and acourier door 103. Similarly, drop box 104 includes a display 105 and acourier door 107. Courier doors 103, 107 may provide access to one ormore bins within drop boxes 102, 104, respectively. Network 110 may be ashared, public, or private network, may encompass a wide area or localarea, and may be implemented through any suitable combination of wiredand/or wireless communication networks. Network 110 may be a GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS) core network, a Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA) core network, or any other network that allows for theexchange of data, messages, and other information. Alternatively,network 110 may comprise a local area network (LAN), a wide area network(WAN), an Intranet, or the Internet. In some embodiments, device 108 maybe paired directly with either of drop boxes 102 or 104 utilizing aBluetooth connection. Alternatively, near field communicationtechnology, radio frequency-identification technology, or bar coderelated technology may be utilized to pair device 108 with drop boxes102 or 104. Device 108 may provide and acquire data from the drop box102 or 104 that it is paired to. In some embodiments, the Bluetoothpairing function may additionally lead to automatically opening up acourier door 103 or 107 on either drop box 102 or 104, respectively.

Device 108 may be used to scan packages that are picked up from dropboxes 102, 104. Information related to the scanned packages may berelayed back to drop box management system 106, which may share thisinformation with all entities associated with the delivery service,including sales, dispatcher, etc. Device 108 may also collect dataregarding event information from one or more sensors in drop box 102 or104 when it is paired (or electronically communicating directly) withdevice 108. For example, device 108 may collect data from sensors indrop box 102 that a package bin is empty, and this information may thenbe communicated to the drop box management system 106 by the device 108.Components of the drop box may include displays, courier doors,batteries, one or more bins, etc., for example, display 101 and courierdoor 103 in drop box 102.

Furthermore, device 108 may be configured to permit tracking using aGlobal Positioning System (GPS), triangulation, or any other method.Knowing the location of courier device 108 allows drop box managementsystem 106 to determine whether the associated courier is in transit toa designated drop box 102 or 104 and any estimated delays. Accordingly,drop box management system 106 provides accurate and timely informationregarding pickup times.

System 100 is exemplary, and the number and distribution of the variousentities shown may be different depending on specific embodiments. Forexample, the components in system 100 may be combined and/or distributedover multiple entities, including other computers, handheld computers,mobile phones, tablet computers, or other computing platforms. Thus, theconfiguration described in system 100 is exemplary only and is notintended to be limiting.

FIG. 2 illustrates devices of an exemplary system 200 for managinginformation related to components of drop boxes. System 200 may includedrop box 202, drop box management system 206, and device 208. Drop box202 may be similar to drop boxes 102 and/or 104 from FIG. 1, drop boxmanagement system 206 may be similar to drop box management system 106,and device 208 may be similar to device 108. Drop box 202, drop boxmanagement system 206, and device 208 may include general-purposecomputing components configured to execute special-purpose instructionsor code to perform certain actions. In some embodiments, drop box 202may be set at a location permanently or temporarily. Regardless, thecomputing components of drop box 202 are configurable as needed toadjust to the set location.

Drop box 202 may include sensors 212, which may include one or moresoftware and/or hardware components for sensing events or aspectsassociated with components 211 of drop box 202. Components 211 of dropbox 202 may include display 218 (similar to displays 101 and 105, asshown in FIG. 1), courier doors (similar to courier doors 103 and 107,as shown in FIG. 1), batteries, solar panels, and one or more bins, etc.For example, sensors 212 may sense that a bin from components 211 isfull in drop box 202. Components 211 and corresponding sensors 212 maybe present inside, coupled to, or be in the periphery of drop box 202.

Display 218 is configured to display information, including pickuptimes, marketing information, information associated with other dropboxes, or other information based on detection of an event reflectingoutput from sensors 212. For example, if a bin (not illustrated) forholding packages is full, and an event is detected reflecting an outputfrom that sensor in sensors 212 that senses that a bin is full, it maybe displayed on display 218 that the bin is full, and a location andpickup times for the closest drop box may then be displayed.

Drop box 202 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 214 and a memory216 to process data, such as the sensed data or received data. CPU 214may include one or more processors configured to execute computerprogram instructions to perform various processes and methods. CPU 214may read the computer program instructions from memory 216 or from anycomputer-readable medium. Memory 216 may include random access memory(RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM) configured to access and storeinformation and computer program instructions. Memory 216 may alsoinclude additional memory to store data and information, and/or one ormore internal databases to store tables, lists, or other datastructures.

Drop box 202 may include an I/O unit 220 for sending data over a networkor any other medium. For example, I/O unit 220 may send data over aBluetooth connection, a network, a point-to-point connection, and/or apoint-to-multipoint connection, either wirelessly or over a cable.

Drop box management system 206 may include a CPU 222 and/or a memory224, which may be similar to CPU 214 and memory 216 from drop box 202.Drop box management system 206 may also include a database 226. Database226 may store large amounts of data, and may include a magnetic,semiconductor, tape, optical, or other type of storage device. In someembodiments, database 226 may store information to be accessed byvarious entities in a courier service network that may have access todrop box management system 206. Drop box management system 206 mayinclude an I/O unit 228 for communicating with drop box 202 or device208. I/O unit 228 may be similar to I/O unit 220 on drop box 202.

Device 208 may include a CPU 230 and/or a memory 232, which may besimilar to CPU 214 and memory 216 from drop box 202. Device 208 mayinclude an I/O unit 236 for communicating with drop box 202 or drop boxmanagement system 206. I/O unit 236 may be similar to I/O unit 220 ondrop box 202.

System 200 is exemplary only, and the number and distribution of thevarious entities shown may be different depending on specificembodiments. For example, in some embodiments, drop box 202 may notinclude sensors 212, CPU 214, memory 216, and/or display 218. In someembodiments, drop box management system 206 may be distributed overmultiple entities, including other distribution systems, computers,handheld computers, tablet computers, or other computing platforms.Thus, the configuration described in system 200 is exemplary only and isnot intended to be limiting.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operations of an exemplary method 300 performedby components of systems 100 and 200 for managing information. Method300 may be executed by CPUs 214, 202, and/or 230. Method 300 may also beperformed in conjunction with other components not shown in systems 100and 200. As explained, some steps in method 300 are optional and may berearranged. Additional steps may also be added to method 300.

First, an event may be detected reflecting output from one or moresensors associated with each drop box from a set of drop boxes (step302). For example, a bin which contains supplies in drop box 102 maybecome empty. An event is detected reflecting an output from the sensorin sensors 212 that indicates that the bin is empty (that is, thetrigger for a sensor is that the bin is empty; when the sensordetermines that the bin is empty, it provides an output).

In some embodiments, the one or more sensors associated with a drop boxcorrespond to one or more components of the drop box. For example,sensors 212, which are associated with drop box 102, correspond tocomponents 211.

Components 211 may include a supply bin that holds shipping supplies, apackage collection bin in which packages are deposited by customers, anda courier door that provides access to the package collection bin sothat a courier may remove the packages. Additional components mayinclude a rechargeable battery, solar panels coupled to drop box 102 tocharge the rechargeable battery, label printers, or any additionalcomponents which may be included in drop box 102. Similarly, an eventmay be detected reflecting output from one or more sensors associatedwith drop box 104.

Next, drop box information may be output from each drop box to amanagement system as a function of the event (step 304). For example,drop box 102 and drop box 104 may output the drop box information todrop box management system 106 as a function of the event detected instep 302. Continuing from step 302, drop box 102 may output drop boxinformation to drop box management system 106 that the bin is empty.Alternatively, it may output drop box information to drop box managementsystem 106 that the bin is empty along with a request to replenish thesupplies.

Next, the drop box management system may receive drop box informationfrom the set of drop boxes, location information reflecting travel ofone or more couriers, or additional information provided to the drop boxmanagement system from one or more additional devices (step 306). Forexample, drop box management system 106 may receive drop box informationthat is a function of a detected event reflecting output from one ormore sensors associated with drop box 102 or 104, information related totravel movements of couriers based on a tracking mechanism as discussedabove, or one or more additional devices may provide additionalinformation to drop box management system 106. In some embodiments, theone or more additional devices may be devices utilized by sources thatare part of the delivery service, for example, users within a sales,marketing, or dispatching department.

Next, the drop box management system may generate instructionscomprising display information for a drop box from the set of drop boxesbased on the received information (step 308). For example, instructionscomprising display information may be generated for drop box 102 in dropbox management system 106.

In some embodiments, the display information includes informationreflecting detection of events in the drop box, secondary drop boxinformation associated with another drop box from the set of drop boxes,pickup times associated with the drop box, and marketing information.

As an example with respect to information reflecting detection of eventsin the drop box, display information for drop box 102 may be associatedwith output drop box information from drop box 102. Continuing from step304, if in step 306, drop box management system 106 receives informationthat a bin which contains supplies is empty in drop box 102, the displayinformation may be generated to indicate that there are no suppliesavailable and display a forecasted time when the supplies may bereplenished.

As an example with respect to secondary drop box information associatedwith another drop box from the set of drop boxes, information associatedwith drop box 104 may include pickup times associated with drop box 104and the location of drop box 104.

Examples of marketing information may include holiday pickup times,sales, or any additional advertisement information that may be includedin the instructions sent by drop box management system 106. Thisinformation may be provided to drop box management system 106 utilizingone or more additional devices that may be a part of the displayinformation.

In some embodiments, information comprising display information may becollectively generated for multiple drop boxes. For example,instructions to display marketing information may be received by dropbox management system 106 from one or more additional devices. Theinstructions may entail displaying the information by all of the dropboxes managed by drop box management system 106. Accordingly,information may be generated for each respective drop box at the sametime, for example, drop boxes 102 and 104.

Next, the drop box management system may provide instructions to thedrop box (step 310). For example, drop box management system 106 mayprovide instructions comprising display instructions to drop box 102 ifthey are generated for drop box 102. Alternatively, instructions may beprovided to drop box 104 if they are generated for drop box 104.

Next, the drop box may receive the instructions from the drop boxmanagement system (step 312). For example, instructions generated fordrop box 102 by drop box management system 106 are received by drop box102.

Next, the drop box may dynamically update a display associated with thedrop box as a function of the output information and any instructionsfrom the drop box management system (step 314). For example, drop box102 may dynamically update display 101 as a function of the drop boxstatus information that it output or any instructions from drop boxmanagement system 106. For example, if an event is detected reflectingoutput from a sensor in sensors 212 that a bin is empty in drop box 102,then display 101 may be dynamically updated to indicate that the bin isempty based on detection of the event. Alternatively, display 101 maydisplay a location of the nearest drop box after receiving instructionsfrom drop box management system 106, for example, drop box 104 wherepackages may be dropped off.

In some embodiments, drop box management system 106 may provide theinstructions to drop box 102 though device 108. For example, drop boxmanagement system 106 provides instructions for drop box 102 to device108 through the network 110. When courier device 108 pairs with drop box102 utilizing a Bluetooth connection, it transfers these instructions todrop box 102.

Similarly, device 108 may retrieve or receive information and/or datafrom drop boxes 102 and 104 when paired with either of them through aBluetooth connection. Thereafter, it may transfer the information and/ordata to drop box management system 106.

In some additional embodiments, the drop box management system maygenerate a notification based on detection of an event in a drop box andcreate a task order to physically alter conditions of the respectivedrop box based on the notification. For example, drop box informationfrom drop box 102 may indicate that a battery level of a battery in dropbox 102 is low. Accordingly, a notification may be generated and, basedon the notification, a task order may be created to replace the battery.This task order may be sent to a courier or maintenance entity eitherthrough device 108 or by any additional means utilized by the deliveryservice for maintenance means.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operations of an exemplary method 400 that may beperformed by drop box 102 for managing information. Method 400 may beexecuted by CPU 214 on drop boxes 102 and 202. Method 400 may also beperformed in conjunction with other components shown or not shown insystems 100 and 200. As explained, in some implementations, some stepsin method 400 are optional and may be rearranged. Additional steps mayalso be added to method 400.

First, an event may be detected reflecting output from one or moresensors associated with the drop box (step 402). For example, a binwhich contains supplies in drop box 102 may become empty. An event isdetected reflecting an output from a sensor in sensors 212 thatindicates that the bin is empty (that is, the trigger for a sensor isthat the bin is empty; when the sensor determines that the bin is empty,it provides an output).

In some embodiments, the one or more sensors associated with a drop boxmay correspond to one or more components of the drop box. For example,sensors 212, which are associated with drop box 102, correspond tocomponents 211.

Components 211 may include a supply bin which holds shipping supplies, apackage collection bin in which packages are deposited by customers, anda courier door that provides access to the package collection bin sothat a courier may remove the packages. Additional components mayinclude a rechargeable battery, solar panels coupled to drop box 102 tocharge the rechargeable battery, or any additional components which maybe included in drop box 102. Similarly, an event may be detectedreflecting output from one or more sensors 212 associated with drop box104.

Next, information may be output to a management system as a function ofthe event (step 404). For example, drop boxes 102 and 104 may output thedrop box information to drop box management system 106 as a function ofthe event detected in step 402. Continuing from step 402, drop box 102may output drop box information to drop box management system 106 thatthe bin is empty. Alternatively, it may output drop box information todrop box management system 106 that the bin is empty along with arequest to replenish the supplies.

Next, a display associated with the drop box may be dynamically updatedas a function of the information or any instructions received from themanagement system (step 406). For example, drop box 102 may dynamicallyupdate display 101 as a function of the information that it output orany instructions from drop box management system 106. For example, if anevent is detected reflecting output from a sensor in sensors 212 that abin is empty in drop box 102, then display 101 may be dynamicallyupdated to indicate that the bin is empty based on detection of theevent. Alternatively, display 101 may display a location of the nearestdrop box after receiving instructions from drop box management system106, for example, drop box 104 where packages may be dropped off.

In some embodiments, display 101 displays information associated withthe status of the components of drop box 102, pickup times for drop box102, information associated with another drop box 104, or marketinginformation. The information associated with the another drop box 104may include pickup times for drop box 104, status components in drop box104, and the location of drop box 104. Furthermore, marketinginformation may include holiday pickup times, sales, or any additionaladvertisement information that may be included in the instructions sentby drop box management system 106.

FIG. 5 illustrates the operations of an exemplary method 500 performedby drop box management systems 106 and 206 for managing information.Method 500 may be executed by CPU 222 on drop box management system 206.Method 500 may also be performed in conjunction with other componentsnot shown in system 100 and 200. As explained, some steps in method 500are optional and may be rearranged. Additional steps may also be addedto method 500.

First, the drop box management system may receive drop box informationthat is indicating a detected event reflecting output from one or moresensors associated with each drop box from a set of drop boxes, locationinformation reflecting travel of one or more couriers, or additionalinformation provided to the drop box management system from one or moreadditional devices (step 502). For example, drop box management system106 may receive drop box information which is a function of a detectedevent reflecting output from one or more sensors associated with dropbox 102 or 104, information related to travel movements of couriersbased on a tracking mechanism as discussed above, or one or moreadditional devices (not illustrated) may provide additional informationto drop box management system 106. In some embodiments, the one or moreadditional devices (not illustrated) may be devices utilized by sourcesthat are part of the delivery service, for example, users within asales, marketing, or dispatching department.

Next, the drop box management system may generate instructionscomprising display information for a drop box from the set of drop boxesbased on the received information (step 504). For example, instructionscomprising display information may be generated for drop box 102 in dropbox management system 106.

In some embodiments, the display information may include informationreflecting detection of events in the drop box, secondary drop boxinformation associated with another drop box from the set of drop boxes,pickup times associated with the drop box, and marketing information.

As an example with respect to information reflecting detection of eventsin the drop box, display information for drop box 102 may be associatedwith output drop box information from drop box 102. Continuing from step504, if in step 506, drop box management system 106 receives informationthat a bin which contains supplies is empty in drop box 102, the displayinformation may be generated to indicate that there are no suppliesavailable and display a forecasted time when the supplies may bereplenished.

As an example with respect to secondary drop box information associatedwith another drop box from the set of drop boxes, information associatedwith drop box 104 may include pickup times associated with drop box 104and the location of drop box 104.

Examples of marketing information may include holiday pickup times,sales, or any additional advertisement information that may be includedin the instructions sent by drop box management system 106. Thisinformation may be provided to drop box management system 106 utilizingone or more additional devices that may be a part of the displayinformation.

In some embodiments, information comprising display information may becollectively generated for multiple drop boxes. For example,instructions to display marketing information may be received by dropbox management system 106 from one or more additional devices. Theinstructions may entail displaying the information by all of the dropboxes managed by drop box management system 106. Accordingly,information may be generated for each respective drop box at the sametime, for example, drop boxes 102 and 104.

Next, the drop box management system may provide the instructions to thedrop box (step 506). For example, drop box management system 106 mayprovide instructions comprising display instructions to drop box 102 ifthey are generated for drop box 102. Alternatively, instructions may beprovided to drop box 104 if they are generated for drop box 104.

The embodiments and all of the functional operations described in thisspecification may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or incomputer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of them. The embodiments may be implemented as one or morecomputer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions encoded on a computer-readable medium, e.g., amachine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage medium, amemory device, or a machine-readable propagated signal, for executionby, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.

The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus, devices,and machines for processing data, including, by way of example, aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.The apparatus may include, in addition to hardware, code that creates anexecution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., codethat constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, or a combination of them. Apropagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., amachine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, thatis generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiverapparatus.

A computer program (also referred to as a program, software, anapplication, a software application, a script, or code) may be writtenin any form of programming language, including compiled or interpretedlanguages, and it may be deployed in any form, including as astand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unitsuitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does notnecessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program may bestored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g.,one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a singlefile dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinatedfiles (e.g., files that store one or more modules, subprograms, orportions of code). A computer program may be deployed to be executed onone computer or on multiple computers that may be located at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification may beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows may also be performedby, and apparatus may also be implemented as, special-purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program may include,by way of example, both general and special-purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor may receive instructions and data from a ROM or a RAM or both.The essential elements of a computer may include a processor forexecuting instructions and one or more memory devices for storinginstructions and data. Generally, a computer may also include, or beoperatively coupled to, a communication interface to receive data fromor transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks.

Moreover, a computer may be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobiletelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, ora Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, to name just a few.Information carriers suitable for embodying computer programinstructions and data may include all forms of nonvolatile memory,including, by way of example, semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal harddisks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVDROMdisks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, orincorporated in, special-purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the invention maybe implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a cathoderay tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, for displayinginformation to the user, and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., amouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide input to thecomputer. Other kinds of devices may be used to provide for interactionwith a user as well, for example, feedback provided to the user may beany form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback,or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in anyform, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The embodiments may be implemented in a computing system that mayinclude a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, or that mayinclude a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that mayinclude a front-end component, e.g., a client computer having agraphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user mayinteract with an implementation of the invention, or any combination ofsuch back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components ofthe system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital datacommunication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communicationnetworks include a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network(WAN), e.g., the Internet.

The computing system may include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client/server relationship to each other.

Certain features which, for clarity, are described in this specificationin the context of separate embodiments may also be provided incombination as a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which,for brevity, are described in the context of a single embodiment mayalso be provided in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Particular embodiments have been described. Other embodiments are withinthe scope of the following claims.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A drop box comprising: a bin configured to receiveone of a package or shipping supplies; a courier door associated withthe bin; a power source; a display; at least one memory device thatstores a set of instructions; and at least one processor that executesthe set of instructions to perform a method, including: detecting anevent reflecting a status of at least one component of the drop box;transmitting information reflecting the event from the drop box to adrop box management system; receiving from the drop box managementsystem instructions responsive to the transmitted information; anddynamically updating the display based on the instructions received fromthe drop box management system.
 17. The drop box of claim 16, whereinthe instructions include instructions for updating the display toreflect information associated with another drop box.
 18. The drop boxof claim 16, wherein the status indicates at least one of the bin isfull, the bin is empty, a quantify of the shipping supplies associatedwith the drop box is less than a first threshold, a power level of thepower source associated with the drop box is less than a secondthreshold, or the courier door is open.
 19. The drop box of claim 18,further including at least one sensor configured to detect the event.20. The drop box of claim 19, wherein the at least one sensor isconfigured to detect the status of at least one of the bin, the powersource, or the courier door.
 21. The drop box of claim 19, wherein theat least one sensor may be configured to detect whether the courier dooris open.
 22. The drop box of claim 16, wherein the instructions includeinstructions for displaying a forecasted time for replenishing shippingsupplies in the drop box.
 23. The drop box of claim 16, wherein thetransmitting includes transmitting the information from the drop box toa wireless device associated with a courier.
 24. The drop box of claim23, wherein the receiving includes receiving the instructions from thewireless device.
 25. A method for managing information associated with adrop box, comprising: detecting an event reflecting a status of at leastone component of the drop box; transmitting information reflecting theevent from the drop box to a drop box management system; receiving fromthe drop box management system instructions responsive to thetransmitted information; and dynamically updating a display associatedwith the drop box based on the instructions received from the drop boxmanagement system.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least onecomponent may include at least one of the display, a bin configured toreceive one of a package or shipping supplies, a courier door associatedwith the bin, a power source, or a label printer.
 27. The method ofclaim 25, wherein the transmitting includes: transmitting theinformation from the drop box to a wireless device associated with acourier; and transmitting the information from the wireless device tothe drop box management system.
 28. The method of claim 25, wherein thereceiving includes: receiving, at the wireless device, the instructionsresponsive to the event from the drop box management system. receivingat the drop box, the instructions from the wireless device.
 29. Themethod of claim 28, further including: establishing, by the wirelessdevice, a wireless connection with the drop box, the wireless connectionbeing at least one of a Bluetooth connection or a near fieldcommunication connection; and receiving, at the wireless device,information via the wireless connection.
 30. The method of claim 28,wherein the instructions include a task order generated by the drop boxmanagement system.
 31. The method of claim 25, wherein the statusindicates at least one of a bin associated with the drop box is full,the bin is empty, a quantify of shipping supplies associated with thedrop box is less than a first threshold, a power level of a power sourceassociated with the drop box is less than a second threshold, a courierdoor associated with the drop box is open, or a delay in a pickupschedule associated with the drop box.
 32. The method of claim 25,wherein detecting the event includes receiving information reflectingthe event from at least one sensor associated with the drop box.
 33. Themethod of claim 25, wherein the instructions include instructions forupdating the display to reflect an updated pickup schedule associatedwith the drop box.
 34. The method of claim 25, wherein the instructionsinclude instructions for displaying marketing information on thedisplay.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the task order includes oneof instructions to restock the shipping supplies or instructions toreplace the power source.